THURSDAY
JAZZ
MERIDIAN ODYSSEY
A sextet of ambitious young musicians who hunkered down together in Alaska during the first year of the pandemic to record their impressive debut album, Second Wave, Meridian Odyssey combines the improvisational imperative and interactive panache of jazz with elements of funk, rock and R&B. Featuring trumpeter Noah Halpern, saxophonist Santosh Sharma, bassist Ben Feldman, Bay Area-reared pianist Dylan Hayes, guitarist Martin Budde and multifaceted Xavier Lecouturier, the group hits Oakland on the last date in a West Coast tour that began in Seattle. That’s where most of the Meridians either grew up or studied—at Cornish College of the Arts. With credits including a bevy of jazz heavyweights, these musicians are eager to make their mark. – ANDREW GILBERT
INFO: Thu, 7:30pm, Sound Room, 3022 Broadway, Oakland. $25. 510.708.9691.
THURSDAY
THEATER
‘EELS! THE MUSICAL’
What do eels, opera, scientific cohorts and underwater, covert bedroom activities have in common? Maybe nothing, but singing and laughing about a story involving all four is the cat’s meow. As part of the Marsh’s rollicking In Front of Your Eyes Festival, Celina Demos brings her directorial brilliance to the book co-written with playwright Nicole Jost. Two biologists face steep research funding cuts in a musical overflowing with fish jokes. Determined to discover the how, when and why of eel mating habits, the two researchers dive—I couldn’t resist—into an unexpected solution by producing a musical. A versatile cast promises all the special ask-fors: diverse talent, skills and backgrounds, and a fearlessness Bay Area audiences love and appreciate. – LOU FANCHER
INFO: Thu, 7:30pm, Marsh Theatre, 2120 Allston Way, Berkeley. $15-$100. 510.282.3055.
THURSDAY
COMEDY
‘COMEDY BANG! BANG!’
Comedy Bang! Bang! host Scott Aukerman interviews celebrity guests and then lets the show veer off script into improvisational comedy chaos. After 14 years and more than 800 episodes, the podcast’s well of lore is deep: a wacky pile-up of recurring characters, silly voices and self-referential bits all crafted in the heat of the moment. For those seeking a point of entry, the Best of episodes are a great place to start—or dive straight into the joyful mayhem of the live tour with Paul F. Tompkins, of BoJack Horseman, and a suite of CBB all-stars. – SONYA BENNETT-BRANDT
INFO: Thu, 8pm, Fox Theater, 1807 Telegraph Ave., Oakland. $56-190. 510.302.2250.
FRIDAY
PUPPETRY
‘OR SO IT WOULD SEAM’
In Or So It Would Seam, Captain Z hears a mysterious distress signal and enters a mystical hidden world of interdimensional subway cars, black holes and massive beings who weave the fabric of space-time. The outdoor outer space odyssey enchants with stunning painted set pieces and extraordinary larger-than-life-sized puppets crafted by the Washington-based String and Shadow theater company out of cardboard, fabric and paper mache. The show is an intricate, family-friendly fairy tale blending avant-garde artistry with slapstick clown comedy. – SBB
INFO: Fri, 6:30pm, Jean Sweeney Park, 1925 Sherman St., Alameda. Donate what you wish. 510.865.5060. Rhymix.org.
FRIDAY
METAL
SEEYOUSPACECOWBOY
Sasscore, punk, mathcore and metalcore unite with intense results in SeeYouSpaceCowboy’s music. The San Diego band has found a loyal fan base with those who enjoy exorcising their demons to the sound of frontperson Connie Sgarbossa’s screaming. Deviating from the autobiographical nature of earlier albums, their third album, Coup De Grâce, takes a slightly different approach, with Sgarbossa crafting a noir-inspired world in which fictional characters communicate her experience and trauma. The result is no less moving than the band’s previous work. Existential anguish, addiction and suicide are familiar themes for this intrepid band. – ADDIE MAHMASSANI
INFO: Fri, 8pm, Cornerstone, 2367 Shattuck Ave., Berkeley. $21/adv, $26/door. 510.214.8600.
FRIDAY
JAZZ
AUBREY JOHNSON GROUP
Aubrey Johnson makes her East Bay debut with a gorgeously calibrated chamber jazz ensemble centering on the orchestral voicing of violinist Tomoko Omura and Alex LoRe’s bass clarinet and alto sax, while the expert rhythm section, consisting of pianist Chris McCarthy, bassist Matt Aronoff and drummer Jay Sawyer, plays with the requisite compressed intensity. Johnson’s crystalline sound and expansive range shine whether she’s interpreting Billie Eilish and Joni Mitchell or Antônio Carlos Jobim and Toninho Horta. The fact that she’s the niece of the late pianist/composer Lyle Mays makes perfect sense, and the posthumous release of his extended composition, “Eberhardt,” earned Johnson a Grammy. – AG
INFO: Fri, 8pm, California Jazz Conservatory, 2040 Addison St., Berkeley. $30. 510.845.5373.
SATURDAY
RAP
CUPCAKKE
For those not paying attention, the ladies own hip-hop, keeping it alive and well with confident, in-your-face lyrics about talent, sexuality and what it means to be a woman in the 21st century. And Chicago’s CupcakKe is no exception. At only 27, she’s been a meteor in the underground, dropping her video to “Gold Digger” on YouTube at 15 years old. She’s continued to utilize her channel to amass a following of more than 972,000 followers with songs like “Vagina,” “Queef” and “Deepthroat”—the last of which just went certified Gold in 2021. But don’t get tripped up by the names; behind her hypersexualized and often hilarious rhymes is a well-crafted lyricist gifted with the talent of a crushing delivery. – MAT WEIR
INFO: Sat, 10pm, Crybaby, 1928 Telegraph Ave., Oakland. $37.49-$42.64. 510.255.1982.
SATURDAY
AUTHOR EVENT
SONYA RENEE TAYLOR
A terrific consortium unites a Q&A conversation with New York Times best-selling author and social activist Taylor, and a performance by folksinger duo the Bengsons. Be sure to check out the Bergson’s video for “The Keep Going Song.” You’re Going to Die’s Ned Buskirk hosts the evening, which will be recorded for an upcoming episode. The free, creatively conscious mortality podcast draws people from varied communities of all ages, identities, and economic and health conditions to discuss death, dying and pathways to acceptance and healing. – LF
INFO: Sat, 8pm, Freight & Salvage, 2020 Addison St., Berkeley. $49/adv, $54/door. 510.644.2020.
MONDAY
COMEDY
HATCH—WHO’S THAT?
When Bay Area people hear “Hatch is playing,” the first question they ask is, “Who’s that?” Luckily, Hatch knows it and decided to use that as inspiration for his new show. Born in Boston, the now Oakland-based comedian has played regular features at clubs all over the area. He loves high-quality jazz, neckbones, pinto beans and delivering observational humor as stories instead of quick bits. He’s not only well-known and loved by other comedians around the Bay, but he also believes in himself. To prove it, he bought a ticket to his show because he’s “spent a whole lotta money over the years to see other people. I damn sure will pay for my own thang!” – MW
INFO: Mon, 7:30pm, Yoshi’s, 510 Embarcadero West, Oakland. $20/adv, $25/door. 510.238.9200.
WEDNESDAY
ROCK
MIKE BAGGETTA & PETER DISTEFANO
Two alt-rock guitar icons will shred on the Golden Bull stage this Wednesday night. Peter DiStefano, of the band Porno for Pyros, can do just about anything with a guitar, whether he’s scoring a video game, playing the strings with a bow or accompanying long-time bandmate Perry Farrell on chart-topping hits. Joining him on the bill is Mike Baggetta, of the band mssv. Known for using zany musical gadgets, Baggetta is a jazz connoisseur and experimental rock maverick with unquenchable enthusiasm for the craft. He says, “Expect improvised punk jazz music for two electric guitars, electronics and maybe some vocals.” – AM
INFO: Wed, 7pm, Golden Bull, 412 14th St., Oakland. $13/adv, $16/door. 510.224.5522.
